Projecting South Carolina's Final Three Games
It is no secret to many, but the remaining Gamecocks' schedule is demanding. With just two weeks left in the regular season, South Carolina is tasked with facing two teams ranked in the top 10: Tennessee and Clemson.
Predicting outcomes in games like these is difficult, especially considering South Carolina will be coming into both games as heavy underdogs. While that may be the case, don't expect South Carolina to roll over easily.
South Carolina must first face Tennessee, who will be South Carolina's toughest opponent this season, with the exception of Georgia. South Carolina benefits from being at home, but Tennessee's undefeated record on the road proves they don't mind traveling.
South Carolina will have their hands full dealing with the high-flying Tennessee offense led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. If South Carolina wants to beat Tennessee, they must come out strong and attack early. Even if they do, Tennessee's offense might be too much for South Carolina to handle.
A high-scoring game from both teams is expected, considering neither team's defense is their strong suit. South Carolina should be able to take advantage of Tennessee's somewhat weak defense and consistently push the ball down the field, but Tennessee should take this game.
Following a challenging game at home against Tennessee, the Gamecocks will travel to their interstate rival for the Palmetto Bowl. Unlike the game against Tennessee, this game has the potential to be a lot closer.
Over the past decade, Clemson has consistently been ranked as a top-four team in the nation. Although Clemson is still a very talented and good football team, a slight decline for Clemson over the past two years should make the 2022 Palmetto Bowl a lot closer than in years past.
Clemson's offense this season is notably weaker than years past, which will help South Carolina, whose defense has been struggling as of late. Clemson's defense is still a strong point for the team, but South Carolina should have plenty of opportunities to score.
The Gamecocks will have to make it a point of emphasis to stop the run game and force the Tigers to rely on the passing game. If South Carolina can do that, they will have a chance against the Tigers. Expect this game to be close from start to finish, though the Tigers to come out on top.
Aside from a win, an essential thing that the Clemson game can offer is momentum. South Carolina may not win the Palmetto bowl this year, but keeping it close the whole game will energize the team. One unit that could benefit from some momentum is the defensive line, which could be a contender for a great game against the Tigers.
No matter what happens in the Clemson game, gaining momentum would be a huge win and could help the Gamecocks come bowl season. Assuming the Gamecocks lose their next two games and finish with a 6-6 record, they should find themselves in a very winnable bowl game.
Though it is all to be determined, the current expectation should be that South Carolina will win their bowl game. Obviously, it is hard to project who will win when you don't even know who the Gamecocks will play, but their record is not reflective of the talent on the team and will most likely have them placed against a team they should beat.
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